conservative
adjEtymology Borrowed from Middle French conservatif, from Latin cōnservō (“to preserve”). Equivalent to conserve + -ative.
12 senses
- 1Cautious, moderate.
- 2Tending to resist change or innovation.
- 3Based on pessimistic assumptions, and on the low side.
- 4Supporting some combination of fiscal, political or…
- 5Relating to the Conservative Party.
- 6Neither creating nor destroying a given quantity.
- 7Having power to preserve in a safe or entire state, or…
- 8Relating to Conservative Judaism.
- 9Conventional, traditional, and moderate in style and…
- 10Not including any operation or intervention (said of a…
- 11Having few changes relative to an older form, especially…
- 12That is the gradient of a function.
Cautious, moderate.
- The chef added a conservative amount of salt to the dish.
Tending to resist change or innovation.
- The curriculum committee at this university is extremely conservative.
- India is a conservative land. The gods do not change.1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC:
Based on pessimistic assumptions, and on the low side.
- At a conservative estimate, growth may even be negative next year.
Economics, Government, Human sciences, Politics, Sciences, Social science, Social sciences Canada, US Supporting some combination of fiscal, political or social conservatism.
- Newspapers in "capitalist" ownership, universities presided over by "reactionary" governing bodies, broadcasting systems owned by conservative governments have all been known to influence public opinion in the direction of socialism, because this was the conviction of the personnel.1949, F. A. Hayek, “The Intellectuals and Socialism”, in University of Chicago Law Review, volume 16, number 3, Chicago: University of Chicago, →DOI, page 421:
- George Soros remains a favorite target of conservative conspiracy theorists, seeing his corrupting influence behind every liberal movement and within every nook and cranny.2020 November 18, Brian Lowry, “‘Soros’ looks at the life and activism of the right’s favorite bogeyman”, in CNN, archived from the original on 05 Mar 2026:
Government, Politics UK Relating to the Conservative Party.
- We have always been conscientiously attached to what is called the Tory, and which might with more propriety be called the Conservative, party.1830, Quarterly Rev.:
Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Physics Neither creating nor destroying a given quantity.
Having power to preserve in a safe or entire state, or from loss, waste, or injury; preservative.
- Without the conservative organs, the body would receive no nourishment; and without nourishment, it would soon decay and perish.1841, The New British and Foreign Temperance Magazine, page 202:
Judaism Relating to Conservative Judaism.
Business, Clothing, Fashion, Lifestyle, Manufacturing, Textiles Conventional, traditional, and moderate in style and appearance; not extreme, excessive, faddish, or intense.
Medicine, Sciences Not including any operation or intervention (said of a treatment, see conservative treatment)
- Operative treatment should be reserved for those patients in whom conservative treatment has failed and who are motivated with regard to sports.2000, G. Puddu et al., “Achilles Tendon Injuries”, in The Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine, →ISBN, page 200:
Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences Having few changes relative to an older form, especially in comparison to related varieties.
- While innovative in its verbal system, Sardinian is the most conservative Romance language in its vocabulary and phonology.
- In spite of the vague evidence, I think that we may conclude that ME ǭ, like ME ę̄, had two pronunciations during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a more advanced pronunciation with close [oː], and a more conservative one with the ‘intermediate vowel’ [ɔː] […]1957, E[ric] J. Dobson, English pronunciation 1500-1700, second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 145, page 673:
Calculus, Mathematics, Sciences Of field That is the gradient of a function.
- Derived terms
44 terms
anticonservative, archconservative, biconservative, bioconservative, cancervative, conservaloon, conservaphobia, conservatard, conservatarian, conservatise, Conservative, conservative correctness, conservative extension, conservative force, Conservative Jew, Conservative Judaism, conservative-libertarianism, conservatively, conservative model, conservativeness, conservativism, conservativitis, conservatize, conservaturd, cuckservative, cuntservative, fiscal conservative, homocon, hyperconservative, liberal conservative, national conservative, nonconservative, overconservative, paleoconservative, political conservative, pseudoconservative, semiconservative, small-c conservative, social conservative, superconservative, technoconservative, theoconservative, ultraconservative, unconservative- Related terms
- conservationist, conservatism, conservator, conserve, Labour Party, liberal, Republican party, Tory